A Belated Thanksgiving Blog

It may be the New Year, but better late then never I say.

Even though we live in the UK and the Brits don't observe this holiday, there is no better reason to cook up a giant bird then on Thanksgiving. Along comes the 4th Thursday of November and that means it's 'Turkey Time'. This year we actually had a third, as Shira's Mom, Peggy, came all the way from Shanghai, China to join us (not specifically for Thanksgiving, it just worked out that way.

So as for any true Thanksgiving, we went whole hog and did it up with all the trimmings as they say. Here is what was on the menu:

• Herb Roasted Turkey stuffed with Aromatics
• Rustic Style 'Smashed Potatoes' with Roasted Garlic
• Wild Mushroom Stuffing
• Green Salad with Blue Cheese/Apple/Walnut
• Mushroom Gravy
• Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta & Shallots
• and of Course, Cranberry Sauce (from Scratch)

Prep....

And now for the finished products...........

The Table.........

Japanese Night

It really doesn't take too much to create a Japanese themed dinner. You can steam some rice, make a quick Teriyaki, add some Edamame and wham-o there you go. I won't bore you with such a generic menu.

Japanese food can be quite simple, but that doesn't mean it has to be boring or unoriginal. Also it really doesn't take to much time or effort to create something that you would find in your favorite Japanese restaurant or Sushi bar.

The menu that I made for our dinner was:

• Steamed Edamame with corse Sea Salt
• Miso Soup with Tofu and Shitaki Mushrooms
• Seaweed Salad (purchased from Japanese market)
• Cold Soba Salads with Chili & Sesame Oil
• Fresh Sashimi (5 Types of fish)

1. Tako {Octopus}
2. Hamachi {Yellowtail}
3. Sake {Salmon}
4. Chutoro {Medium Fatty Tuna}
5. Ibodai {Japanese Butterfish}

Everything here I purchased from a local Japanese grocery store, Atari-ya Foods, complete with Fishmonger. These stores are great, they have all the items you would expect, such as soy sauce, rice, noodles, teriyaki. They also have fresh Sashimi grade fish, frozen goods, beef sliced for Shabu-shabu, produce and every sauce you can imagine.